The formalities associated with passport application
and visa processing is also tedious during this period. Availing visa for
parents who are planning to take their kids just to attend the competition
are Herculean a task, as most local agencies do not cater to visa services
towards the exact destination of the contest.
According to many parents the time fixed for final
round of competition, that too in Abu Dhabi without an extra option in India
has brought them into time and resource constraints.
Organized by a private firm based at Kochi, Kerala;
Spell Bee is a popular programme off late. Aptly described as an English
Olympiad, it conducts competitions for students of classes 1 to 12, in six
categories.
‘Children are excited to participate in this game- like
activity with different elements of a Language Olympiad. The organizers are
very child friendly and kids really enjoy the events-’opines Priyanka
Viswanath, a home maker in Kozhikode.
“We are aware of the venue and processes of final
rounds just during national orals in Thrissur.That too, details were not
confirmed. Just recently the formal information on the international round
was circulated. Even the result of national orals held at Lulu International
in Thrissur was updated last fortnight.”-says Uma Mahadevan, guardian of a
national winner.
‘The website of the organization has been updating most
crucial information timely. However, information on how the program proceeds
through different stages, the criterion of knock-outs, status of performance
evaluation of individual students, the content and standard of materials,
lack of work books, especially for the junior categories are all lacking
still. Scores and grades of the participants are also alien to parents and
their teachers to evaluate their scope.”-says an English teacher. She has
been guiding her students’ whole year through for the competition.
Mentoring the students to make them perfect in the
competition itself is a tough task on the part of parents. Only very few
schools have skilled language specialists to take care of the contestants.
Even if a paid orientation class is provided by the organization, it is not
enough to make the child ready to make a mark in the run.
‘The organizers are claiming its transparency and
self-motivated modules through out the course. But many a participants point
out that there was no self- motivating manuals or modules. They are
providing us only minimum guidance and some dictionaries. How can we follow
dictionaries alone at this stage?’ asks Anushka Chaudhuri at Lulu, the venue
of national competition.
‘It’s not a catwalk for even bright students with good
English back ground. A viable combination of strenuous practice,
professional guidance and extensive reading are some of the tips for a
winner’-responds a group of participants in unison. “It is a game of luck
for the pioneers as new items are integrated in each and every round.”
‘The study material provided during orientation for
each round either a week or fortnight before the competition forms only a
basic outline on which we have to build up’-says Radhika Rao, mother of a
seven year old participant.
‘Result of each and every round is just a word that
your kid is qualified or not. If the scores were announced without delay
along with result, parents and teachers can mentor their wards in a more
effective manner for the upcoming events. But, here transparency is not
ensured on this evaluation aspect in spite of a high registration fee for
the examination’ –says Sunita Gawain from Maharashtra.
“The competition begins from School rounds with a
meager participation fee of rupees 150 per head. Growing stages of
competition mark growth of expense also in a progressive manner; i.e
striking brilliant 5000 rupees for finalists.
Apart from this, each orientation is charged
separately. These two elements alone drained our purse by a quarter lakh in
a short span. Other expenses including travel, food, accommodation and
coaching are exclusive ’-says Muhammad Yunus an NRI guardian based in
Calicut.
“Traveling to UAE amidst peak season that too as a tour
package is another blow to the show”- he concluded.
Many of the parents and teachers of participants are
unaware of these long procedures up to final destination regarding the
content, syllabus and expense of the program.
Freshers of all categories have a hard time to fit the
spell bee in their schedule and the task becomes more tedious, if the kids
are more active in other extra curricular activities.
Getting attuned to British accent is also a true
barrier for beginners; especially on computers that too within a short span
of time.
Dictations, jumbled words, spell it, pronunciation,
synonyms and antonyms, word usage, grammar, idioms, phrasal verbs and cross
word puzzles make the game truly intriguing.
“An event with immense opportunity for personal
development of participants at their own expense could have been planned and
coordinated in a more conducive manner for participants”- says Balakrishna
Pillai from Thiruvananthapuram.
